Revenge
by moonchaser1
Summary: A forgotten petty argument between the guys yields an unexpected result. But will it be Lita who unwittingly pays the ultimate price?
1. Chapter One

Disclaimers: I own none of the characters used in this story. I'm just borrowing them for some fun.

**A/N:** You may have read this story before. I am having to upload it again after some less than fortunate circumstances. If you've read it before, sorry. If you haven't, then dive in and have fun. And oh yeah, a review would be a nice gift.

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Part One

"I know. I wish you were with us too. I could really use your help with Jeff. He's worrying me to death with his extremeness," Matt Hardy said, emphasizing the last word and switching his cell phone from his right ear to his left.

"Yes, I've tried talking to him, it's no use. He's determined to beat the Undertaker." He paused while the other caller spoke. "Yes, I'll try. You know that won't work".

Lita sighed on the other end of the phone. "Just be careful, both of you. I saw what you did to Raven the other night, and he is probably going to come after you for slamming him like that".

Lita was concerned, being so far away. She was at home in North Carolina, recuperating from her neck injury. She paced her living room while she spoke with her friend.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. I have to tell you though, Li, clocking Raven like that felt really good. The dork deserved every bit of it."

"Matt, he's not going to leave it alone. He'll..."

Matt cut her off. "Lita, if you didn't notice, he is now banned from Raw. As in gone, finito, audios. I just gave him a little going away present for what he did to me and Jeff last week. He can't bother us anymore." Lita could hear the smile in his voice.

"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid, ok? I really don't think he'll just disappear even if he's been banned."

"You worry too much, girl. That's what we love about you. Now just focus on your own healing, so you can get back on the road with us full time." Matt said.

"At least tomorrow's show is here in North Carolina. I can't wait to see you all tomorrow," she said. "I'll meet you at the arena around 2:00."

"Uh, um, yeah, Lita, about that...." Matt began to trip over his words. "Well, I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"What? Why?" she said, her voice rising. "I'm stuck here 24/7, and you guys don't even want to see me when the company's so close to home? I don't get it Matt."

"No, no, no. It's not like that. Of course we want to see you," he began. "It's just, you kind of have a point about Raven, though. Jeff and I were talking last night, and we both think it would be safer for you if you weren't at the arena. If that lunatic were to come around, I'd feel a lot better knowing that you were out of harm's way."

The truth was, Matt thought about Lita a lot. He missed her terribly. She was his best friend and confidante. Ever since she got hurt, he also had these other feelings, which he just couldn't sort out. He chalked it up to his protective nature, but he knew he'd go insane if Lita were to get hurt again.

"But, Matt",

"Please, Li," he said, "do this for me... and Jeff" he added as an afterthought. "If you do this for us, then we'll take you out after the show, ok?"

Lita never could turn Matt down. He was her soft spot. In her mind, she could picture him in his hotel room right now, head down, eyes filled with worry. "Ok, you win. I will stay home. But you had BETTER come pick me up as soon as the show ends tomorrow."

Matt let out an audible sigh of relief and broke into a smile. "You got it Li. Hey listen, I better go. Our flight leaves soon."

"Ok. Be safe."

"Always, Lita. Always".

to be continued.................


	2. Chapter Two

Part Two

"Ding, dong"

Lita looked up from the magazine she was reading, and headed for her front door. She wasn't expecting anyone this afternoon. She wouldn't see Matt and Jeff until later that evening. She was dressed comfortably, in a pair of jeans and a tank top, with the ever present hard brace supporting her fragile neck. She couldn't wait to be allowed to move from the hard brace to a more comfortable soft one. "A couple weeks more", she thought, as she ambled towards her door.

Peeking through the peephole, she was surprised to see what appeared to be a pizza delivery boy standing on her front door. She opened the door.

"Hi. That'll be $15.95 please."

"Um, I'm sorry. But I didn't order a pizza. Are you sure you have the right house?" 

The young man looked confused. Glancing down at his delivery log, he said, "This is 244 Delvinta Road, right?"

"Yes, it is, but I'm afraid someone made a mistake".

Perplexed, the boy stood there a moment longer, then came to a decision. "Well, ma'am. That's very likely. The cashier back at the store is a little ditzy. She probably gave me the wrong address. I tell you what, just take this one. It's on me." He smiled broadly and turned to go, obviously not caring about the situation.

"Um, thanks... I think. I guess today's my lucky day," Lita said, glancing from the pizza box to the retreating delivery boy. She stepped back into the house and closed her door. She was as confused as the delivery boy appeared to be, but hey, how could you look a gift horse in the mouth? Or in this case, a gift pizza?

Across the road, a dark figure moved among the shadows of the trees. Dropping his binoculars to hang around his neck, he began to retreat back deeper into the wooded lot. "Ah, but it's not your lucky day, Lita. It's mine. Because now I know for sure where you live. And I can see you're all alone. Guess the little Hardy twerps didn't want you near the arena, where who knows what could happen," Raven laughed, and snuck away, his plan beginning to formulate in his mind.

to be continued...........


	3. Chapter Three

Part Three

Jeff Hardy stood at the top of the ramp, taking in the energy the crowd was giving him. Here he was, about to take on the Undertaker for the Undisputed Championship. Victory could come only by pinfall; it was a compromise the Undertaker demanded in exchange for participating in a ladder match. Adrenalin coursed through his veins as the Hardys music blared across the speakers. After dancing around the stage a bit, he raced down the ramp and into the ring, where the Undertaker waited. Ladders were set up in each corner of the ring.

"Let the battle begin", he thought with a smirk.

Backstage, Matt Hardy paced in front of the monitor, his long curls occasionally draping in his face. Impatiently, he pushed them back out of the way. He had promised Jeff he wouldn't interfere unless someone else did first. And he intended to keep his word. He couldn't shake however, the feeling of foreboding he had. He sensed danger, he just didn't know for sure how it would happen. The gnawing feeling he had just wouldn't go away.

"C'mon, Jeff!" Matt practically screamed at the monitor. The Undertaker was larger, and was certainly giving him a beating, but ladders were a Hardy specialty, and Jeff was using it to his full advantage.

Jeff had just clocked the Undertaker with the butt end of a ten foot ladder. That was what finally took the Undertaker down. Quickly, he set up the largest ladder in the corner and scurried up to the top. Giving the crowd his famous guns salute, followed by a dramatic bow, he leapt off the top rung, performing a picture perfect Swanton bomb. Rolling up the Undertaker, the referee slid to the mat, beginning the three count. 

"One"

"Two"

"Three!" Matt finished, screaming in the back. Exhilarated for his brother, he dashed out of the locker room and raced towards the front to join his brother in celebration.

Out in the ring, Jeff rolled off the Undertaker and leapt to his feet, jubilant in his victory. He finally beat the Undertaker and his prize was the Undisputed Championship. The referee reached him the belt, while Lillian announced his victory. The crowd was going crazy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Matt racing to the ring to join him, while the humiliated Undertaker had rolled out of the ring and was slowly making his way towards the back.

Matt and Jeff were celebrating in the ring, posing on the turnbuckles while the crowd was still showing their happiness and support of Jeff's victory. Suddenly, the Hardys music stopped and the lights started flashing. New, eerie music took its place. The Titantron sprung to life, interrupted by a snowy screen and squawking noise. Quickly, both Matt and Jeff spun their heads around, their eyes instantly glued to the screen.

The screen turned black, then slowly a picture faded into view. Standing in front of the camera was a familiar face. Matt's feelings of trepidation returned, as he realized who that person was: Raven.

"Oh, no," Matt said as he began to figure out where Raven was filming this at.

"Matt, that looks like Lita's car," Jeff said, the dangerousness of the situation dawning on him as well.

Raven turned to face the camera, a hideous smirk on his face. "So, hello there, you little Hardy punks" he began. "I trust you're having a wonderful time there at the arena. Well, I want you to know, I'm having a wonderful time as well." Raven began to walk around a bit, waving his arms dramatically as he spoke. The camera was not moving. Obviously he had set up a tripod and was filming himself.

"You see, I couldn't be at the arena tonight, given that I've had a little disagreement with the management. So, I thought I'd spend the time with another person who couldn't be there tonight either." 

Matt began to curse under his breath. Jeff didn't appear to be breathing at all.

Raven approached the camera, standing directly in front of the lens. In the background was Lita's car, parked on what appeared to be the side of a country road. The trunk lid was up. Raven smiled menacingly into the camera. "I hope you're enjoying your match tonight Jeff. And I hope you won, defeating the Undertaker. But most of all, I hope you regret your foolish transgressions against me over the past few weeks, because you're going to regret them for as long as you live."

Jeff just stared at the screen, mesmerized by what he was hearing and a blank look on his face. What did that lunatic mean by "regret for as long as you live?"

Matt on the other hand, was getting angrier by the moment. His face was getting flushed, and he clenched his fists at his sides unknowingly as he watched the madman on the screen.

Suddenly, Raven walked closer to the camera and picked it up. The picture swung wildly at the ground. He was carrying the camera now. The audio however, couldn't be misunderstood. "And you, Matthew. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Attacking a man when he's down." The camera's picture whipped back to Raven's face as he held it unsteadily, focusing on himself.

"Didn't your daddy ever tell you it's not nice to pick on other kids? No one likes a bully you know. You must be punished for what you've done to me, when I was at my lowest." He laughed evilly, then continued. "I think I came up with the perfect way to make you pay." His face then turned dead serious as he said, "What better way to hurt you two idiots than to take away the one thing you care about most. Just as I cared about the WWE and it was taken away from me. Does this hurt, Matthew?"

Raven then panned the camera down on Lita's car, and zoomed into the trunk. Matt and Jeff both gasped as theirs worst fears were realized. Raven had taken Lita. She lay there in the trunk, hands and feet bound and gagged, a look of sheer terror on her face. "So, Lita, comfy are you? You think your big strong boys are going to come to your rescue?" He continued to taunt her. "I don't think so, babe. You see, this time, I win." 

Raven turned the camera back on himself. "Catch me, catch me, if you can." He laughed maniacally then turned and slammed the trunk lid shut. "Oh, sorry to run off, but Lita and I have other business to tend to." Raven held up the car keys, shaking them as he spoke.

With that, he reached forward and turned off the camera. The screen zapped back to the snowy picture and static.

In the ring, the two brothers stood dumbfounded. What had just happened? 

to be continued................


	4. Chapter Four

Part Four

"Look sir, I already told you," said the production crewman. "I went outside for a quick smoke break, and when I came back in, the videotape was laying on the console, with a note from Vince to run the tape immediately following the Hardy/Taker match. I thought it was a little late notice, but who am I to disobey an order from the owner of the company? I ran it like the note said. I didn't watch it first."

"Are you sure you didn't see who left the tape?" Matt Hardy said, stepping forward into the guy's face. Jeff stood directly behind Matt, hands on his hips.

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't." he answered.

"Mr. Hardy, please. Let us handle this," the police detective called to the arena to investigate stepped in front of Matt, his body language telling Matt to step back from the crewman. "I know you're concerned –"

"Concerned? You know I'm concerned? Did you even see the tape? He's got Lita, Detective Atkins. Who knows what he'll do to her. We've got to do something quick to find her." Matt's tone was rising with each word. Raking his hands through his dark hair, he sighed and stepped back.

"That is exactly what we're here to do, Matt. But you've got to trust us to do our job. We can't help Lita unless you calm down."

"I don't want to calm down. I want to kick that sorry –"

"He's right Matt," Jeff interrupted his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We've got to allow the police to do their thing. We're not going to help Lita this way." Jeff had a look of concern on his face. He was just as upset as Matt, but he knew to help Lita, he had to keep his emotions in check.

"Thank you, Jeff", said Detective Atkins. "Now, let's review what we have so far. We have a note left with the videotape, supposedly written by Vince McMahon."

"That note was NOT written by me." Vince McMahon walked into the room. His very presence parting the assortment of men in two lines, allowing him to approach Detective Atkins.

"May I see the note please?" Vince asked.

"Of course, sir."

Vince looked at the note, which was now encased in a plastic bag, to prevent further fingerprints from getting on it. "Well, he certainly copied my handwriting style fairly well, although it's by no means a perfect copy. I can however, understand why this crewman would believe it was from me."

"I did, sir. I didn't have a reason to believe it was from anyone other than you," the crewman stated.

Vince nodded, then turned his attention to the detective. "Mr. Atkins, I want you and your men to do everything in your power to take care of this situation quickly. Find Lita and bring her back safe. I have security resources available to me, should you need extra man power. Just say the word."

"Thank you, Mr. McMahon. I think our own force can handle it for now. But I certainly appreciate the offer," Detective Atkins said.

"And just how are you going to handle it, Detective?" Matt asked, his tone sounding a little more curt than he intended.

"I've already dispatched officers to search the area, and we have an APB out on Lita's car. If he tries to leave town with it, we'll stop him."

"Unless he's already gone," Jeff said.

"I'm going to take this tape back to the lab and get our team to start a thorough analysis. There might be something here, background noises, etc., that could provide extra clues."

"That's it?" Matt asked incredulously.

"I'm afraid that's all we can do right now, Matt" he answered.

Matt opened his mouth to respond, but Vince stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Thank you, Detective. Allow me to see you and your men out." With that, everyone left the room, leaving Matt and Jeff alone. Jeff turned to Matt.

"We promised not to interfere with the police investigation, Matt", Jeff said, anticipating what his brother was going to say before he said it.

"I don't care, Jeff. Did you see the look on her face? She's terrified. I swear, I will kill him if he so much as touches her."

"I know, I feel the same way. Lita is like a sister to me. That sucker's gonna pay for playing these kinds of games. "

"I can't lose her, Jeff. Not now. She means so much to me, too." Matt didn't allude that she was like a sister to him, because lately, he just wasn't sure how he felt about Lita. But it was something that went beyond sisterly, that much he knew. He hoped he'd get the chance to figure it out.

"I know, big brother. Like I said, we promised not to interfere with the police investigation. However, I did not promise that we wouldn't begin a little investigation of our own," he said. A glint of a smile crossed Jeff's face.

"Try to stay focused here, Matt. Can't you see what Raven's trying to do? His ego is hurt, or he's just pissed off or mad or something because we got him back. That tape was meant to provoke reckless behaviors from us. That's exactly what he wants. If we want to win, we've got to play his game smarter than he is. By now he knows we've seen the tape, and I'd swear he's licking his chops wondering if we're running like chickens with their heads cut off. If I were to guess, I'd bet he's going to call us on one of our cells shortly. His pride was hurt and his ego is huge, so it's only natural he's going to want to gloat. We need to get some technical geeks to help us trace that call when it comes in, Matt, because I swear, it will come."

Matt thought for a minute. "You know, little brother, you've got a point. Boy, this is certainly role reversal. I'm always the level-headed Hardy. Since when did you become so smart and in control?" Matt said with a half-smile. 

"I learned from my older brother. He's always taken great care of me. I think it's time I help take care of him, too." Jeff stepped forward and embraced Matt in a quick hug. Stepping back, he said to his brother, "We'll find her Matt. I promise we'll find her."

to be continued.........


	5. Chapter Five

Part Five

"So, are you sure this contraption is going to work?" Jeff Hardy said, looking over the small device sitting on the table.

"Of course, Hardy" came the exasperated voice of Chris Jericho. "Goodwin here knows his stuff," he continued, hands on his hips.

"His name's Godfrey, Jericho" piped up Spike Dudley, interceding on the technician's behalf. "Quit jerking around. This is serious," he said.

"Hey, half-pint," Jericho was immediately angered. He stepped towards Spike as he continued, "I am absolutely serious here. I'm just as worried about her as you all are." He turned to the technician. "Sorry, man."

"No problem," Godfrey simply stated, never looking up from his position, bent over the small black device, twisting a few small knobs on the receiver unit. "There," he said. "I believe that will do it." He straightened his back and turned to face the men in the hotel room with him.

"Now, just do what I showed you earlier when the call comes in. Make sure the plug to the receiver is plugged into the phone, and this wire here is connected to the box."

"Right here?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, exactly." Godfrey answered. "And don't forget, you'll need to keep the caller on the line at least two minutes in order for the trace to give you a complete geographical readout. If you keep him on the line long enough, this display here will show you his approximate location. It'll even display the address and phone number if he's calling from a traditional phone."

"No problem keeping him on the line." Jericho said. "The crazy freak always was windy".

"Kind of like Caller ID on hyper speed," Spike added, looking closer at the unit.

"I see now why you can't buy one of these babies at Radio Shack," Jeff commented casually. 

"Exactly. These are used almost exclusively for um, governmental use, if you get my drift," Godfrey said.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks again man for coming here to help us," Jeff said, shaking the technician's hand.

"Again, no problem. I hope you find your friend. I better go now. I've got another appointment out of town."

"C'mon, Godfrey," Spike said. "I'll drive you to the airport."

"Hey, man. Thanks for hooking us up with Godfrey," Jeff said to Spike.

"My pleasure, my friend. Now you guys get your girl back, ok?"

"Absolutely," Jeff answered, walking Spike and Godfrey to the door.

"I better go too, or Vince will have my head," Chris said. "I'm supposed to be in Raleigh for Smackdown tonight."

"You got plenty of time. Thanks man for being here." Jeff and Chris started walking towards the door.

"Hey, she's my friend too. You'll get her back, Jeff. Spike's tech gave us the tool. The trap's laid. Now we've just got to sit back and wait."

"And that's the crappiest part."

"I know. Hang in there. And," Chris said, looking over into the corner of the room, "take care of him, too. He's not said three words since I've been here."

Jeff glanced over at his brother, who was sitting quietly in the corner of the room next to the tracking device. Matt had a glower on his face. "He's just worried. This is killing him too."

Chris nodded. "Later, Matt. Hang in there buddy."

Matt looked up, seeming to snap out of his haze. "Thanks, Jericho." He said simply.

In a remote area

The car seemed to slow down, then came to a stop. Finally, all the twists and turns had seemed to end, which was good, because her stomach wasn't exactly calm. Nerves or the curvy roads, she wasn't sure.

Pop went the remote lock, as it was opened from inside the car. Lita braced herself for the bright sunlight, as she had been in the darkness for several hours now. Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing for sure.

She wished she could wipe the sweat off her brow. Although she had a sufficient air supply, the cramped area had been stuffy and warm. Raven had been driving for what seemed like hours. She heard the driver door open and slam shut. The unmistakable footsteps that grew louder told her she was about to face him again. The trunk lid raised, and Lita instinctively shut her eyes. She opened them however, when no obtrusive light struck her. It was dusk out.

"Hello, sunshine. Did you have a nice ride?" Raven sneered at the redhead. Reaching in and grabbing her by the arm, he lifted her out of the trunk and onto her feet. She was still gagged and her hands were tied, but it felt good to stretch her legs. Raven reached down and untied her feet, allowing her more stability to stand as well as the ability to walk on her own.

"This way," he said. "Welcome to your new home sweet home. No one will ever think to look for us here." Raven laughed and pushed Lita through the trees and towards the tiny rundown cabin.

Oh how I hope you're wrong, she thought, trudging through the woods to her new prison. Matt, Jeff, please find me.

to be continued.......


	6. Chapter Six

Part Six

Lita sat in the floor of the dirty old cabin, watching nervously as Raven paced the floor. She hadn't said a word to him, mainly because he was muttering under his breath to himself as he paced back and forth in the little living room.

Lita had took time to check out her surroundings, in an effort to plot her escape should the opportunity arise. The cabin appeared to be only two rooms, a main room which served as the living room and kitchen, and a doorway leading to what she guessed was a small bedroom. The bathroom, she supposed, was outside. This place was apparently a hunting cabin or something. It was obvious no one lived there by the boarded up windows and cobwebs in every corner. Raven had broken the lock on the front door to get them in.

Lita surmised her most obvious escape route would be through the front door; however, her first accomplishment was going to be getting herself untied. Time to test the waters. "You're going to wear a whole in the rug," she said. "Oops, I'm sorry. There is no rug."

Raven snapped his head around at the sudden words from the redhead. "Shut up, Lita. I'm trying to think here."

"About what, Raven? This mess you've created for yourself? Cause that's what it is. You're in way over your head. Matt, Jeff, and half the police force in North Carolina are looking for you, you know."

"Ah, I'm sure they are. But I'm also sure they think we've absconded out of the state by now. They've probably blocked every border out of here. Isn't it ironic that I have no intention of leaving the state? They'll never think to look right under their nose, will they?"

"Raven, if you give up now, everything will go easier for you. You're not going to get away with this…"

Raven leapt towards Lita at her words, dropping on his knees in front of her. "Give up now?! Everything will go easier? How dare you," he hissed. "No one has gone easy on me, ever. Do you understand that?" He pressed closer to her, getting right in her face. She leaned further back against the wall in an effort to get away, but there was no where to go. Her hands and feet were still tied. Her stupid neck brace didn't make things any more comfortable either.

"No one has cut me a break. Not in ECW or the WWE. And that's how I liked it. I don't need anyone to do me any favors. But tossing me out like a rag doll when I am clearly one of the most talented workers was a huge mistake. It makes my blood boil." Raven leaned back on his heels, his eyes still focused at Lita. Lita noted how his eyes were flashing with anger. This man was definitely off his rocker.

"All I had left was my pride. Then your stupid little boys had to go and rub salt in my wounds. Do you know how that feels, Lita? Being escorted out of the arena on TV was one thing, but your boy went too far when he ambushed me. Does a wounded wolf not bite when it's backed into a corner, Lita?" He continued before she could answer. "I'm going to show them they should NEVER have crossed me. They will rue the day they met me." He stood to his feet then and headed towards the front door. Before stepping outside, he turned back to her and added, "Quoth the Raven, nevermore." With that he slammed the door and was gone. She however, was still stuck there tied up, sitting on the floor.

Lita let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Well, that went well," she sighed. She would have to rethink her original plan, if she wanted to survive this.

to be continued


	7. Chapter Seven

Part Seven

He rolled over one more time, tossing and turning. Jeff had been trying for hours now to get some sleep, knowing it wouldn't come. He turned over once again, looking over at the digital clock on the nightstand. The display read 3:35. So much for getting any rest he thought. Peering through the darkness, he looked over at Matt's bed. He wondered if his brother was doing any better at getting some rest. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized Matt wasn't there. Jeff looked across the hotel suite they were sharing towards the bathroom door. Nope, not there. The door was open and the lights were out.  
Looking further into the room, Jeff caught sight of the curtains blowing slightly through the sliding glass door. Jeff relaxed a little, realizing Matt was out on the balcony. Pulling himself out of his bed, he walked over to the door.

Matt Hardy was sitting on the balcony in one of the posh patio chairs. The light from the full moon cast a beam across the area. He was awake, staring up at the stars, seemingly deep in thought. "You can't sleep either, little brother?" he asked, not even needing to look at Jeff to know he was standing in the doorway.

"No, not really. I try, but I just end up feeling guilty. I mean, I know I need to sleep for her sake, but it just won't come."

"See those stars Jeff?"

"Yeah"

"What's keeping me sane right now is that I just keep picturing in my mind that Lita is somewhere out there, safe, and she's looking at the same stars. I want her to take comfort in knowing that we are looking at the same sky, and that no distance is going to keep us from bringing her back."

"I hope that's true, Matt" Jeff said, sitting down in a chair beside his brother. "The part about her being comforted by the stars, I mean. Because you're absolutely right in that we will bring her back. It just might take a little while is all."

"We have to believe in ourselves Jeff. Faith is all we have right now. I know Detective Atkins is doing everything he can, but he doesn't know what a nut case Raven really is. I use to think he was just a little eccentric. Now I see he needs serious help."

Jeff was going to respond when he was cut off by a distinct ringing sound coming from inside the room. He instantly shot straight up, fear grabbing him and his heart pounding.

"That's my cell ringing, Matt."

Jeff and Matt shot through the glass door and into the bedroom, where Jeff's cell phone was still screaming to be answered. Picking it up, he read the name of the incoming caller on his display. Thank goodness he had took the time to program it during some downtime on a flight long ago. "Lita calling" read on his display.

Matt quickly gave Jeff the wire from the tracking unit to plug into his phone. Anxiously, Jeff pressed the Talk button.

"Hello? Lita is that you?"


	8. Chapter Eight

Part Eight

"Hello? Lita is that you?"

"Aw, I'm touched Hardy. Really. But I'm afraid I'm not your precious Lita."

"Raven. Listen here you lunatic, let me talk to Lita."

"I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you. But I'm afraid she's a little tied up right at the moment. She can't come to the phone." Raven laughed into the receiver.

Lita sat on the floor, hands and feet still tied. Raven had returned about an hour earlier spouting off about how it was time to start the game. She had tried desperately to free herself of her bonds while he was gone to no avail. The rope was tight and knotted well. She had only succeeded in rubbing her wrists raw and frustrating herself to the edge of tears. She was tired and hungry, but more so, she was beginning to feel mentally exhausted. That was not a situation she could afford to get herself into if she was going to make an escape. So, to calm herself, she had scooted over towards the one small window in the main room that was not boarded up and spent her time in the dark staring out, meditating in deep thought. It was a clear night, a full moon in fact. She contented herself with watching the stars, all the while talking to them as if they could translate her messages to Matt and Jeff. It brought her a slight sense of comfort.

"What do you want Raven?" Jeff asked.

"What do you think I want? I want you to suffer. Are you missing your little friend? Are you concerned for her safety?"

Jeff didn't say anything. Matt was close to his brother, sharing the earpiece so he too could hear what was being said. The tracking unit was ticking off the time, doing what it had been programmed to do. Jeff's silence was a way to stall for time.

"Answer me Hardy!" Raven grew agitated.

"Of course we're concerned about her, you idiot. Let me talk to her, just for a moment, to make sure she's ok."

"No. You may not," he said plainly. "I'll do the talking here. You'll listen to ME."

"You've got her, we're beside ourselves with worry, so you win. Let her go now."

"No."

"Then what's next Raven? What's the next step in this sick little game?"

The question caught Raven off guard. He didn't know what he'd do next. He had acted so impulsively, in his fit of anger. He hadn't thought about what he'd do with Lita once he had her, except to make the Hardys hurt. So he answered honestly.

"You'll find out in due time, punk." Raven clicked off the phone.

Jeff heard the phone click off in his ear. "Damn, he hung up on us. Matt, was it enough time?"

Matt was staring intently at the tracking device, tempted to push the little buttons in an effort to make it work faster, but knowing he couldn't mess with the calibrations. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," he said.

After about a minute, the little machine sounded three short beeps, the small red light coming on. "A hit!" exclaimed Jeff.

Both Hardys, however were quickly disappointed. The flashing display read "Partial results returned". The next line however, gave them hope. The unit said "Received call from mobile phone – Origination: ?, North Carolina".

"Jeff, he's still in North Carolina."

"Thank God. We've still got a good chance at finding her."

"I wish he would have put her on the phone. I really would feel better if I'd heard her voice," sighed Matt.

"Yeah. But I'm sure he was right there with her, and now we know she's still in North Carolina."

"Let's call Detective Atkins and fill him in. Maybe he's got something on them by now too."

Back in the cabin, Lita heard the exchange between her friends and Raven. Unable to stand it anymore, she lifted her head to the man who held her captive and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"I take it that was Matt or Jeff on the phone."

"Well, aren't you the smart one. Nice to know they don't just keep you around for your looks, sweetie," Raven replied back to her smartly.

"What are you going to do with me Raven? We can't stay here forever you know."

"I'll tell you what I told them. In due time." Raven answered bitingly. He was upset, that was for sure. But Lita sensed that it wasn't her line of questioning that was bothering him. He seemed upset with himself. Maybe he had wanted the phone conversation to go differently, she wasn't sure. She couldn't tell which Hardy brother he had been speaking to, and she only heard Raven's side of the conversation, so she didn't know fully what exchange had taken place. All the stress and the late hour was catching up to her, and she stifled a yawn the best she could. Raven however, noticed her yawning and stared hard at the redhead seated against the wall. In an uncharacteristic move, he walked over to Lita and lifted her up on her feet. He picked her up over his shoulder and walked her into the small bedroom, Lita protesting both verbally and physically every step of the way. Raven dumped her unceremoniously on the small cot that was the bed.

"Bedtime," he said. "Don't get any smart ideas. As you can see, the window is boarded up, and you're still tied. And I'll be right outside this door. I highly recommend you get some sleep." Raven shut the door then, plunging the room into darkness.

Lita wasn't in any position to argue Raven's point. With her hands still tied, there was no way she could escape. It would be in her best interest to get some rest. She lay down on the small cot, trying to get comfortable by laying on her side. Unbidden thoughts of Matt and Jeff flooded her mind. If she knew them, and she did, she figured about now Jeff would be ranting about the situation, loudly voicing his frustration. Jeff was such a creative, artistic person. He tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve. She loved how expressive he was. Matt, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Lita pictured the elder Hardy, his dark features clouded as he brooded over the situation. Matt wouldn't say much she was sure. He was so protective of both Jeff and her at times. At first she used to be annoyed by his protective nature, but she had grown to love that about him now. It felt comforting to be an independent person, yet still have someone who you could always count on at the same time. Lita knew he was probably tearing himself apart right now.

Don't worry, Matt. I'm ok. If only she were telepathic.

to be continued....


	9. Chapter Nine

Part Nine

The door creaked open, thrusting sunlight into the small bedroom. Lita had been awake for hours, but she had no way of doing anything other than continue to lay in the bed. Besides, she thought it would be best to conserve her energy.

"Get up. I brought breakfast", came the grumpy voice of Raven.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine" Lita replied, lifting herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. "I see someone didn't get his eight hours of beauty sleep."

"Don't start with me this morning," he answered.

Lita changed her demeanor, appearing more sympathetic. "Um, look. I'm sorry. But I didn't sleep all that great either. Raven, would you please take these ropes off, just for a short while? I won't be able to eat otherwise."

Raven looked doubtfully at Lita, trying to gage her sincerity. She pressed forward. "And, um, I also really need to use the little wrestler's room, if you catch my drift."

That did it. Raven didn't want to hear anything about females and the restroom. 

"Ok, but you better not even think about trying something funny, Lita. So help me." She turned and held out her arms encouragingly. Raven stepped up to her and began working loose the knots. When her arms were freed, she sighed audibly.

"Oh my goodness, that feels so much better. My arms are aching."

Raven, who had bent down and was now working on freeing her legs, just looked up at her, then continued to untie her feet. Soon, she was completely free.

"I'll just be a minute," she began, intending to exit the small bedroom and head through the main room.

"Nuh, uh," Raven interceded, grabbing her roughly by her sore arm. He drug her over towards a small door, which Lita had assumed was a closet. When he opened the door, she saw that it was actually a small bathroom. It definitely hadn't been cleaned in ages, but it had a toilet and a sink, which was more than she had expected.

"Oh, ok," she said. "I hope the water works." She walked over to the bathroom and shut the door behind her all the while thinking there goes plan A.

Her first intention had been to sweet talk Raven into freeing her, then begging to go to the bathroom, which she had assumed was the great outdoors. Plan A was to make a run for it.

A few minutes later, Lita exited the bathroom, passing through the bedroom into the main room. Having freshened up, she felt much better. Raven sat at the small wooden table, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Coffee?" he asked, sliding a steaming cup towards her.

"Definitely," she said, accepting what he had to offer.

"So where are we, anyway? I think I deserve to know my new zip code," she said. 

Raven smirked at her, pride in his voice. "That's the most awesome part of this little game. Don't you recognize where we are? We're in Hardyville, USA, also known as Cameron, North Carolina."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No, angel. This is just the icing on the cake, so to speak. I've got their most prized possession right under their nose, and they don't even know it. How ironic is that?"

"I am no one's possession" Lita emphasized her last word, glaring at the man.

Raven looked at her, exasperation on his face. "Here's the cereal, and there's also donuts on the counter," he said. Raven then went back to eating silently, ending their conversation. 

Lita blew out her breath for effect then and plopped down at the table sipping her coffee and taking a closer look at the furnishings, now that it was daytime. There had to be something here she could use as a makeshift weapon. She had fought in hardcore matches before, so she figured she could be resourceful when it came to a weapon to temporarily incapacitate her kidnapper.

Glancing over at the kitchen sink, she spied her object of choice. For there, on the stove next to the sink was the perfect item: a frying pan. She figured it wouldn't take him out completely, after all, he was one of the toughest hardcore wrestlers around the federation, but she figured she could stun him temporarily, giving herself time to get a head start out of there. She looked over to the front door and smiled inwardly: he had left the door unlocked.

"You know, my diet doesn't usually allow it, but I think I'll have a donut," she said. She stood and walked over to the counter, standing within arms reach of the stove. "I always had a weakness for chocolate," she continued, hoping to sound genuine. "Matt always buys me Hostess Ho-Hos when I have a particularly tough match to cheer me up."

At the table, Raven looked up and rolled his eyes at the remark. "How romantic," he smirked.

Now or never, she thought. "UGH! Raven, come here please! There's a gigantic bug or a mouse or something completely disgusting over here by the donuts!" she screamed, stepping back from the counter about two paces.

"Oh, please. I thought you were the queen of extreme. Can't you handle a little bug?" Raven walked over to the counter, looking in the sink for the intruder.

"Right there," Lita pointed, directing him to the right side of the sink and turning his back to the stove. 

With one swift move, Lita reached out and grabbed the frying pan, lifting it over her head and connecting forcefully with the back of Raven's skull. Crying out in pain, Raven collapsed to his knees. Lita wasted no time in making a break for it, tossing the pan and running for the door.

"Owww. Get back here you bi…" were the last coherent words Lita heard as she fled out the door and down the trail, to what she hoped was the path of freedom. Her heart raced, she could feel the blood pumping through her veins as she ran, or was that adrenaline?

My car, I should try to find my car she thought. Maybe he left the keys in it. Behind her, she thought she heard the faint sound of yelling. He's coming, he's coming, he's coming! her mind screamed at her, urging her legs on. She tried to quicken her pace the best she could. Her arms ached, as they'd been tied behind her for almost 24 hours. A dull ache had settled around her neck, which was also terribly sore. Thank goodness she still had the hard collar on.

Raven raced through the woods at an animalistic pace. He was enraged. How dare she strike him. How dare she disrespect him? He should have known she'd be no different than those stupid brothers that she called her friends. He should have known she'd try to shame him the same way as they did. She wouldn't get away with this. He grabbed the back of his head and grimaced in pain. Up ahead, he caught a flash of what he thought was red hair whip around a tree. Encouraged, Raven increased his speed, knowing where she was headed.

Lita burst through the woods into the clearing. Her eyes landed squarely on her car, parked in a shady spot. She raced towards the driver's door. Please, please, please she pleaded under her breath. She tried the door, and to her relief it opened. She hopped inside and slammed the door. Looking around frantically, she searched for her keys. She didn't remember Raven carrying them into the cabin, so unless they were in his pockets, then they were here somewhere. "Glove box…. No…. Dashboard…. No…… Back Seat….. No….. Floorboard….." Lita reached underneath the seat, and cried out in joy when her fingers wrapped around her key ring. "YES!" She sat up with joy, looking at the keys in her fingers. This was too good to be true. Her fingers shook with excitement as she fumbled through the keys, looking for the one that would start the engine and take her away from here. She stuck the correct key in the engine and started to crank the engine when a hand was suddenly thrust through the driver's window and closed around her neck. "NOOOO!" Lita screamed.

Raven opened the door and roughly jerked Lita out of the car. She landed on her knees, but jumped up, turning to face him. Arms flailing, she swung wildly, using everything within her to escape his grasp. Unfortunately, he had her by her weakest area, her neck. Her ability to fight back was severely limited, but she was determined.

Raven gained the upper hand when he used his free hand to strike Lita across the face. She crumbled to the ground, her hands instinctively going to her cheek. She lay on the ground, looking fiercely at the animal that stood over her, tears of anger brimming in her eyes mixed with tears born from the sting of the slap. So close, she had been so close.

"Get up" he demanded in an icy tone.

"Make me" she retorted.

Raven reached out and grabbed her then, hoisting her up off the ground and standing her up roughly. He got in her face and grabbed her roughly on both sides of the head, bringing her within an inch of his own face. "Do that again, and the Hardys won't have anything left to pine for," he hissed. Then he jerked her around and began pushing her back into the woods, back to the cabin that was her prison.

to be continued........


	10. Chapter Ten

Part Ten

They say a watched pot never boils. It can also be said that a watched cell phone never rings. Matt Hardy sat at the kitchen table, chin resting on his arms, staring intently at his and Jeff's cell phones, which lay side by side on the table. He listened half-heartedly as Jeff talked to Detective Atkins on the stationary phone in the next room. He and Jeff had gotten up that morning and returned to Jeff's house in Cameron. There was not a reason to stay at the hotel any longer, given that they now knew Lita was still in North Carolina. Or at least was as of 3:30 that morning when Raven had called. It was after three in the afternoon now, and Matt was fighting his body's urge for sleep. His mind was in a fight of it's own, which was to leave the house and turn over every rock in North Carolina until he found her. But after about an hour's argument with Jeff on the car ride home, he begrudgingly agreed that the best place for him was at home with Jeff, waiting for the next call to come. Detective Atkins had said that he'd step up the search for Lita, given the new information from the call. Matt didn't understand how the detective could do any better than he already was, but he was appreciative anyway.

"Yes, sir. No, nothing else yet. We've got both our phones right here, charged up."

There was silence again while Jeff listened to the detective, then Matt heard Jeff say, "Alright. Thanks. Goodbye." Jeff hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen where his brother was.

"The detective says nothing has turned up yet. They're checking out all the places around Charlotte still, where the show was. He's got men going through all the old warehouses, and looking in other abandoned structures."

"Any sign of her car turning up yet?"

"No. They think he still has it, which would help them catch him if he does."

"You know, Jeff. I have a gut feeling about this. Raven's not in Charlotte. I think he bolted with her as soon as he took her."

"Where do you think they are?"

Matt sighed dejectedly. "I don't know. This is stupid I know. But it's just a feeling I have."

"Hey, man. That's ok. I tend to agree with you. We both know that Raven is unpredictable. Whatever is the norm for psychos, Raven's gonna do just the opposite."

In the cabin

"Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine…" Lita counted the seams in the floorboards of the old cabin. She was tied again, this time to a chair in the middle of the main room. That was what she got for making a run for it earlier that morning. Raven had left a little earlier and she hadn't seen him since. She was glad for that, because he had been furious with her. A part of her wondered if he left so his temper wouldn't get the best of him and hit her again. Although she couldn't touch it, she knew by now she had a bluish-purple bruise gracing her left cheek. She could feel it there.

She had had plenty of time to calculate her next move. She was determined to get herself out of this mess. She still couldn't believe she was so close to home, yet so helpless. If only she could talk to Matt or Jeff. She could give them a clue about where she was. Cameron was a tiny town. Just a few main roads, and the rest was private property or farms. She'd thought over and over about where exactly she might be. She'd narrowed it down to the fact that she had to be somewhere off Highway 22. Now that she knew she was in Cameron, she had spent the better part of the morning trying to retrace her trip there in her mind. She distinctly remembered being tossed around sharply in the back of the trunk as Raven slowed to take a sharp curve. Then she felt the road texture change as the car traveled over an overpass. That must have been when they crossed the river. It wasn't long after that that he turned off on a gravel road, which led to where she was now. At least, she hoped that she was right in her deduction. She wasn't a native of Cameron, but she'd spent so much time here with Matt and Jeff she knew the roads by heart.

She was jarred from her thoughts when the door suddenly opened, and her captor walked through, slamming the door behind him.

"I hope you brought some food," she commented to him.

"You're in no position to demand anything now, are you red?" he replied sarcastically. 

"No," she actually chuckled a little. "I guess I'm not. But if the old Raven would peek through for just a minute, I know he would have brought me something." She had decided she should do what she could to get back on his good side after that morning's events.

"Don't give me that," he said. "You never took the time to get to know the old me. You never said three words to me back in the fed. You couldn't be drug away even for a minute from a Hardy Boy. Your little click of wannabes disgusts me, and I include Jericho and Edge and Christian in that group. You all thought you were so cool. The hip crowd."

"That's not true, Raven. I have spoke to you. You just always choose to alienate yourself from everyone." Despite her intentions to remain calm, she was beginning to get irked.

"And why do you think that is? I'll tell you why. It's because I never got the respect that I deserved. I've never been judged for me and my talent. I get tired of people judging the way I dress or choose to wear my hair. My credentials in the ring should count for something too. But did it? No. I never was given my chance to elevate to the main event position that I so rightly deserve."

"Oh, cut the crap right there." Lita knew she was headed into stormy waters, but she couldn't help herself at this point. "Get off the little pity party you're throwing yourself here. For one, we've never judged you for your appearance. Hell, Jeff Hardy is my closest friend. He's like a brother to me. He also chooses to express himself through his dress and appearance. You don't think people look at him a little strangely when we're out and he has purple hair? The fact is, not all people embrace differences in others as freely as they should. That's just life. The difference between you and Jeff is, where you buck up and sulk, Jeff shows a friendly face and makes an effort to bring people into his world."

"But," Raven began.

"And furthermore," Lita continued, cutting Raven off, " we all earn our way in the fed. I work just as hard as you do. I haven't always gotten shots at titles and stuff like I would have liked. But what I do instead of moping about it, is work harder. I realize that for every positive I get, there's also gonna be a negative. I'm successful because I prepare myself mentally for the negative experiences."

Raven looked at her incredulously. He opened his mouth to say something, then just shut it again. She had a point. He then got annoyed with her, walking over to her and getting in her face once again.

"You know what? I'm tired of hearing your preaching. Shut your mouth. I'm ready to get rid of you. You're too much effort." He then pushed back and turned away.

Lita's eyes grew large. She wasn't sure what she had just stirred up and what he would do now. All she knew was she had spoke what her heart felt about the situation. She just hoped she wouldn't pay for speaking what she felt was the truth. She watched as Raven walked over to the counter and picked up her cell phone. She held her breath as she watched him punch in the buttons.

Meanwhile, in Jeff's kitchen

Matt and Jeff were sitting in the living room, going over a map of North Carolina, discussing possible routes out of the city that Raven might have taken. Suddenly, Jeff's phone began to ring. Both heads shot up, and Matt leapt up and led the way to the kitchen table.

"Ok," Jeff said, attaching the cord to the tracking device again. "Here we go. You ready bro?"

Matt held the phone in his hand. It continued to shriek to be answered. "More than you know." Jeff nodded then, signaling Matt the unit was ready. Matt didn't hesitate any longer as he pressed the Talk button.

"It's about time," he said into the phone.

TBC


	11. Chapter Eleven

Part Eleven

"About time for what? It's me, Chris. Do you have any news?" The caller on the other end was Chris Jericho.

"Oh, man. I'm sorry. I thought you were that maniac Raven. We're thinking he's going to call again any minute." Matt motioned to Jeff to turn off the equipment.

"What? He called? What'd he say? Is Lita ok?"

"Whoa, slow down. Yes, he called Jeff's cell phone about 3:30 this morning. He rambled on for a minute about making us suffer then hung up on us."

"Did you get any info off the tracking device?"

"Some. We know he is or was still in North Carolina."

"What about Li?"

"He didn't let us speak to her, but I'm pretty sure she was there and she's ok. Call it a feeling if you will, but he didn't allude that he had hurt her."

"He better not touch her," Chris said, "or he'll have me and half the WWE roster to face."

"Thanks for being there for us, man. We really appreciate your support."

"No problem. How's the new undisputed champion doing?"

"Jeff? He's actually the calmer one of us right now."

Chris smiled a half-smile into the phone, "Hey man, we all know what she means to you, to both of you. Hang in there."

"Yeah, we will. Vince has been great about all this too. Even though Jeff's the champ, he's still giving him the time off to deal with this." 

"That's cool. Well, listen, I don't want to tie up your phone. Let me know if anything goes down, ok?"

"You got it."

"And if you need backup, I'm on the first plane there. Understood?"

"Understood. Thanks Jericho. You're a great friend."

"You too. Talk to you later, Hardy."

Matt clicked off the phone and turned to look at his brother. "It's nice to know we've got true friends." Jeff nodded and headed back into the other room to study the maps again, Matt following behind him.

"Dammit," he said. "It's still busy." Raven had taken up his pacing again, a habit Lita was beginning to find annoying. She wanted to respond, but was hesitant. It wasn't but a few minutes ago he had told her pretty forcefully to shut up. Oh well, she always was a risk-taker.

"I take it you were calling one of the boys?" she asked quietly.

Raven stopped and looked at her. "It's busy. Maybe your little boyfriend has a new girlfriend by now," he said snidely.

"Matt's not my boyfriend," she said evenly.

"Well, now. Someone's a little defensive. I thought I told you to shut up."

"I never was very good at taking direction. Besides, you'd get bored here if we didn't talk. Lord knows there's nothing else to do. How'd you find this place anyway?"

Raven spoke without thinking. "I was in the gas station, when I heard these two old geezers talking about how one couldn't wait for hunting season to open up so he could come out to his cabin. He was telling the other one how to get here. All I had to do was listen and remember."

"Wow. And they say elephants never forget. I guess it's true about ravens too," she remarked.

"Funny. You got it all, don't you? Looks, brains, and a sense of humor."

Lita overlooked the comment. "Since you're so smart, what's next? You can't keep me out here forever. Even if you outwit the cops, eventually the hunters would come here and find us, seeing how you're trespassing on their property."

"I don't intend to keep you here forever. Besides, hunting season doesn't open until November."

"Well, then. Why don't you just untie me from this chair, and I'll head back to town like nothing ever happened. We'll just call it even then." Lita grinned, knowing he would be irked.

To her surprise, Raven smiled back. "I'll just do that. I know what you're doing Lita. You're quite transparent in your plotting."

"Who, me? Just because I'm tired of being the pawn in your stupid little game is no reason to accuse me of plotting against you."

"Keep smarting off. It makes me care about what happens to you less and less."

"See. I knew you cared. You're not a monster, Raven. I know that. Deep inside there somewhere is the guy I met long ago who cares about people. It's ok that your emotions got the best of you. I will forgive you, if you stop this now."

Raven seemed to be contemplating what she was saying. He looked down at the floor, hesitant to make eye contact with her. Lita pressed on.

"It's not too late, Raven. It's never too late. Let me go."

Raven looked up at her then. "I'm sorry Lita. I can't. I've got to finish what I've started. My pride is at stake. It's all I have left." With that, he picked up the cell phone again and pushed the redial button, walking to the other side of the room. Lita was left in the middle of the room, wondering if she would ever be able to get through to him, or if she was doomed to a more sinister fate, all because pride had reared it's ugly head.

TBC


	12. Chapter Twelve

Part Twelve

Matt followed Jeff into the kitchen and they had begun discussing the maps once more when the cell phone began ringing again. The phone still in his hand, he reached down and clicked on the phone. "What'd you forget, Jericho?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I interrupting something? Maybe I should call again at a more convenient time."

"Raven! Wait! Don't hang up," Matt shouted, jumping up out of his chair.

Jeff launched himself out of his chair and tore into the living room to retrieve the tracking unit. He sped back into the kitchen, jumping over Matt's chair which had fallen over when he realized who was on the phone. Reaching towards his brother, he plugged the tracking unit in the phone, then pressed the button to start the call tracking.

"Oh, so you do want to talk with me. I thought you might," Raven sneered into the phone.

"Let me talk to Lita."

"Listen to me, Hardy. I called you, not the other way around. I decide who you speak to and when."

"What is it you want Raven? Whatever it is, we'll give it to you. Money? We'll give you however much you want. You already have her car. Take that and just leave."

"What I want is respect. What I want is my credibility back. What I want is to be the champion I deserve to be. To hear the fans chant my name night after night. To feel the adoration and their love and support."

"Vince is never going to let you back in the fed, not after what you've pulled here. There's got to be something else, Raven." Matt was trying to egg him on, anything to keep him on the line long enough to get a location.

"I'm afraid I must disagree. Viewing audiences would eat this up. And Vince loves ratings."

"What are you proposing?"

"A match, of sorts. For rainbow-boy's title. A chance to beat him to a bloody pulp and regain the love of the people and respect of my co-workers. Then when I'm done with him, I'll end your career too, Matthew. Of course, it would have to be strictly on my terms, and I call all the shots. I couldn't have you showing up with the friendly men in blue or anything like that. I'm not stupid you know."

Matt started to tell him he was nuts, but thought otherwise. Jeff, who had been listening as closely as he could to Matt's earpiece, was nodding his head furiously, motioning to Matt to accept the fight. Jeff looked at Matt and mouthed silently, He's delusional. Accept the fight!

Matt nodded to his brother, then turned back to the conversation.

"Let me talk to Lita first."

"No."

Matt stood his ground. "Let me talk to Lita, or no deal. Why should we agree to fight you if you've hurt her?"

Back in the cabin, Raven stalked over to where Lita sat tied to the chair, a knife in his right hand, the cell phone in his right. Lita's eyes grew large as he swiftly brought the knife towards her. She sighed in relief when he used it to slice through one of her bonds, freeing one hand.

"Hello. Raven? You still there? I said let me speak with Lita." Matt was getting panicky as there had been no response on the other end.

Raven glared at Lita, then spat into the phone, "Just for a minute, Matthew. Here's the girl." He handed the phone to Lita, continuing to stand over her.

"Matt?"

"Oh my god. Lita? Are you ok? We've been so worried about you. Please tell me you're ok."

Lita couldn't help it as tears sprung to her eyes. The sound of his voice was one she wasn't sure she'd ever hear again. She willed them away and answered, "Just peachy, Matt. Just peachy. I miss you guys too. I want this to be over."

"Has he hurt you? So help me, if he has, we'll both kill him…"

"No, Matt, he hasn't. I'm holding my own here. Ok?"

"Where are you Lita?"

"No, it's fine Matt." She knew she had to speak cryptically. If she told him where she was, Raven would go ballistic. "I'm sure your Dad would be here if he could. I know how much he loves that place. He's usually there around Thanksgiving though, isn't he? Tell him I said hello and I'm ok."

"What?" Matt was slightly confused, but caught on quickly. Behind him, Jeff was bouncing around with anticipation, trying to write down what Lita was saying.

"And tell Jeff to be careful, ok? Raven told me he's the new champ. He may be the Undisputed Champion, but it'd be a shame for him to have his career ended at age 22. He's got a whole road of achievements ahead of him. I don't want to see him hurt."

"I will Li. I promise. I understand what you're saying. Anything else you need?"

"Yeah, can you please go to my house and check on my cat, Louisa? I'm sure she's out of water by now. Don't let her out or she'll wander off into the area behind the house. She'd be lost for days. And,…"

Raven ripped the phone out of her hand. "That's enough," he told her. He turned his attention back to the Hardys on the other end. "That's enough chit-chat. You can see she's just fine. So, do we have a deal or what Hardy?"

Jeff reached over and took the phone from Matt. "You've got a deal. I look forward to beating you senseless."

Raven laughed. "Somehow, I doubt that. I'll be in touch boys. Later." He clicked off the phone and turned to Lita.

"Aww. What's with the tears, red? Homesick?"

"Shut up." She wiped at her eyes, not wanting Raven to know she had been affected. She had to remain tough.

"Now who's telling who to shut up?" he smirked. "This game is just starting to get interesting. And I hold all the cards." He laughed again and bent over, picking up the rope he had cut, intent on tying her free hand again.

"Can't you please just let me keep this one free? My shoulders and arm ache so badly."

Raven just rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid not. Unfortunately, you've shown me you're not trustworthy."

If you only knew just how much she thought. I hope Matt and Jeff understood what I was trying to tell them.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Part Thirteen

"She's ok, Jeff. She sounded like she was ok," Matt said to his brother, laying down the phone. He wasn't sure if he was telling Jeff or just reassuring himself, but it felt good.

"I know. I could tell just from the little bit I heard," his brother answered.

"She gave us some clues. We've got to try to figure them out." Matt looked at the tracking device. The display read "Processing – please wait".

"I wonder what the reference to Dad meant?"

"She said she knew he loved that place. What place in North Carolina does Dad love?"

"Well, home of course. But I don't think that was it. He also loves to fish. He's down at the lake at least three days a week. Maybe he's holding her near a lake somewhere?"

"But then she went on to say he's usually there at Thanksgiving."

"No," Jeff corrected. "She said he's usually there around Thanksgiving. Dad wouldn't be fishing then….

"He'd be deer hunting!" Matt finished. "So, that means she's probably in the woods somewhere. That would make sense."

At the table, the tracking unit continued to flash, not ready yet to give up any information. Jeff stared at the unit, as if his intense gaze would make it work faster.

"Well," Jeff said thoughtfully, "she totally got my age wrong. Lita knows I'm not 22. I'm 24."

"So something has to do with 22 then. 22 miles from something?"

"Possibly. She said she'd hate to see my career ended at age 22 because I have a whole road of achievements ahead of me."

"So, she's in North Carolina, in the woods, 22 miles from something. Twenty-two miles from what?" Matt was perplexed, then he remembered the last clue she gave them. "The kicker has to be the bit about the cat. She asked me to check on her cat and not let her out behind her house. Jeff, you know as well as I do, Lita doesn't have a cat."

"She has a dog. That's pretty smart. There's no way Raven would know she didn't have a cat. What did she say the cat's name was again?"

"Louisa. And she was afraid she'd be out of water. Oh my god, Jeff…."

"What?"

"Lake Louisienne. She had to be referring to Lake Louisienne. And there are woods behind her house. She was saying don't let her wander into the woods. It makes perfect sense!" Matt was getting excited.

"Then that means he's hiding in…"

Just then the tracking device beeped three times and the little red light began flashing. Both brothers leaned over to view the display. "Results returned. Received call from mobile phone – Origination: Cameron, North Carolina."

"Cameron!" Matt exclaimed. "Dammit Jeff! He's been right here the entire time! C'mon, let's go get the s.o.b." Matt turned to run out the door, when his brother stopped him, reaching out with a hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on. Let's be smart about this. What are you going to do? Turn over every rock in Cameron?"

"If I have to," he said simply, hands on his hips.

"Look, first we need to call Detective Atkins. We need backup. And second,…"

"… we don't know yet exactly where in Cameron she is. I could get her hurt running off half-cocked. I know that."

"Exactly. Detective Atkins has access to helicopters and stuff. They could use their infrared cameras to search the woods a lot quicker than we could on foot."

"So, she's in the woods, close to Lake Louisienne, 22 miles from something. 22 miles from what?"

"No, no, no" Matt continued, deep in thought. "It's not 22 miles from something. She'd have no way of knowing that, given she most likely rode there in her trunk. Jeff, Lake Louisienne is on Highway 22."

"That's it!" Jeff bounced around a little bit. He was getting happier by the minute to be so close to figuring it out and getting his friend back.

"Make that call little brother. And you be sure to tell Detective Atkins that I will be a part of the ground team that goes in to get them. There's no way I won't."

"We both will," Jeff said, smiling back at his brother. "We both will."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Part Fourteen

"Alright. Parker, I want you, Thompson, and Jones to head out this way," Detective Atkins was bent over the map, drawing a circle over a supposedly wooded area. "Instruct Klein and Green to take this route."

"Um, sir," a hand tapped him on the shoulder.

"Just a moment," he said, waving off the hand. "Have the others head this way, as a follow-up to the path the chopper is taking."

"But, sir," the tapping resumed.

"Please. Let me finish. Parker, go ahead and take the K-9 unit with you."

"Yes, sir," replied Officer Parker. He and the other officers exited the kitchen to the living room and were on their way out of the house. Jeff's house had become command central once he called the detective to update him on the latest call from Raven.

Detective Atkins turned around to face the younger Hardy. He stood there, an anxious look on his face. His brother stood behind him, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Yes, Jeff?"

"Sir, what about Matt and me? Where should we go?"

The detective shook his head. "Jeff, we've been over this. I cannot allow you to go out there and take part in this with my team. It puts your personal safety at risk."

"What about Lita's safety, detective?" Matt said from behind his brother.

"Matt, I understand where you boys are coming from. Really, I do. But you've got to realize the best place for you is right here. For one, he might call again. If that happens, I need you to be able to take the call. Second, neither one of you look very well rested."

Matt just glared at the detective. The detective noticed and quickly added, "and with good reason."

"But, sir. We just want to do everything we can. I'm perfectly willing to risk my personal safety to go. I do it every night when I enter the ring."

"I know you do, Jeff. But I'm afraid I just can't allow it. Not this time."

Matt dropped his head, too frustrated to speak. He had to admit, he was tired. Exhausted was probably a better way to describe it. But he was no where near exhausted enough to just stand by and not help Lita. Not when she needed him like this.

"Why don't you boys go get some rest?" the detective suggested. "You look really tired. It could be hours before we know anything."

"Alright," Jeff conceded. "But if anything happens, anything at all, please come get us."

"I will. I promise."

Jeff turned to go upstairs, pausing at his brother. "C'mon, Matt. Let's go upstairs and grab a short nap."

"I don't want to. I want to stay here where I can know what's going on."

"Matt, I really would like you to come upstairs and get some rest." Jeff had a certain glimmer in his eye, a look Matt had seen before, usually when his brother was up to mischief.

"Fine," he said, and followed his brother up the stairs.

Once upstairs, Matt followed Jeff into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "So just what are you up to little brother? You don't want to sleep any more than I do."

"You know me so well." Jeff walked over to his dresser, picking up his extra cell phone and putting it in his pocket.

"You got your phone?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because the detective was right." He was now rummaging under his bed, coming up with a flashlight. "If he calls, we need to be able to answer." He walked over to his brother and handed him the flashlight.

"Detective Atkins said he couldn't allow us to go with his team. He didn't say we couldn't go of our own accord, did he?"

Matt broke into a smile. "No, he didn't. We're not prisoners here. We can come and go as we please. He'll be pissed off, you know."

"So, we'll leave him a note," he said, scribbling on a piece of paper lying on the dresser.

Jeff pointed to the window. "I'd suggest we exit through the window instead of the front door. Somehow, I don't think the detective would agree with our thought process."

Matt opened the window, and waited for his brother to approach before he began to tenuously climb out onto the trellis on the outside. "Do you know how long it's been since I've snuck out a bedroom window?"

"Yours or some girl's?"

"Ha ha. Let's go little bro."

-In the cabin in the woods-

Lita had dozed off, still tied to the chair, but she wasn't resting very well. Every time she would nod off, she'd get a sharp pain in her injured neck from the awkward position. She also thought she heard a bee buzzing around, making an annoying sound. The buzzing kept getting louder, keeping her from totally dozing off.

Suddenly, she jerked awake. That sound was not buzzing. It sounded more like a helicopter flying over. "Maybe they're looking for me," she wished. With her luck, it was probably just the local traffic reporters, making their evening runs. "But maybe Matt and Jeff figured out what I was saying and sent help." She couldn't help but get a little bit excited. She bit her lip in anticipation, listening closer to see if the choppers got any nearer.

The door flew open then, banging harshly against the wall. Raven beat a path inside, slamming the door shut again. He held a tire iron in his hand.

"I can't freaking believe this!" he shouted. He then turned the tire iron on the kitchen table, effectively demolishing the piece of furniture. He stalked menacingly towards his prisoner. "Do you know what that is out there, Lita?" He didn't give her a chance to answer. "I'll tell you what it is. It's a police helicopter, that's what!" He was shouting now. "Just what did you say to that punk earlier? Huh, what did you say?"

"N-n-nothing. I swear!"

"Well, those pansies didn't just find us on their own now, did they?" He reached into his pocket for his knife and swiftly began cutting her bonds free. Once that task was done, he reached into his other pocket and quickly slapped a pair of handcuffs on her. She'd seen those before. She was pretty sure they were the same ones he'd used on Jeff in the ring. At least her hands were now in front of her instead of behind her. That didn't hurt quite so bad. He then drug her towards the door.

"C'mon. We're outta here."

"Where are we going…." she asked, trying to keep up with his furious pace.

Raven never bothered to shut the door behind them, leaving the little cabin empty, the smashed table a grim reminder of the anger that he had within him at that moment.

to be continued


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Part Fifteen

Matt and Jeff were traveling down Highway 22 in Matt's car. Jeff was at the wheel, while Matt stared out the window, as if Lita would just suddenly materialize.

"Just why did I let you drive my car again?" Matt asked.

"Because I'm the more mentally stable brother today."

"Can I get a doctor's note on that one?" he questioned.

"Probably not. I just thought you'd probably want to look out the windows while we drove around, like you are now. You couldn't do that very well if you were driving."

Matt turned and looked at his brother. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Under his breath, he added, "and I thought it'd be safer this way".

The boys hadn't exactly decided where they'd begin searching when they made their decision to look for Lita on their own. Heading down the road however, they began to discuss the most logical choices.

"I think we should stay on Highway 22, and start looking around the north end of the lake around Cobbler's Knob," said Jeff.

"Nah," said Matt. "I think if he's anywhere, it's going to be on the east side of the lake, closer to the boat ramps."

"Ok. We can start there." Jeff increased his pressure on the gas pedal, speeding off towards the lake.

Meanwhile, in Lita's car

"Raven, please slow down. You're scaring me," Lita said, gripping her handcuffed hands on the dashboard of her car. Raven had pushed her through the woods at a hurried pace, half-dragging her in his quest to escape. Once they'd reached her car, he'd tossed her unceremoniously in the passenger seat and took off, trying to stay ahead of the cops and out of sight of the chopper.

"You're scaring me," Raven mimicked in a false female voice. "It's your fault we're in this predicament, Lita. I know you've somehow tipped off your little pretty boys. They're not going to get me, you know."

"You're crazy," she said looking at him. "You really think this is my fault you're in this situation? You think it's my fault?" the timber of her voice rose steadily as her temper started to flare. "Excuse me, but you kidnapped me. I had nothing to do with your sick desire for revenge."

"Just shut up," he said, shooting a steely gaze at her. "I don't need to hear this right now." Seeing how Raven still had the tire iron in his lap, she opted to listen to him, for now.

They continued to speed down the little two lane highway at speeds far exceeding the posted speed limits. Lita held her breath each time he took a sharp curve or passed another car on a double yellow line. Seriously wondering if she'd meet her demise in a car wreck after all she'd survived so far, she decided to reach around her and snap her seat belt in place. Not an easy task, given her handcuffed hands.

"Oh, good thinking," sneered Raven. "I'd hate to get ticketed for failure to wear a seat belt." Lita didn't say a word, just reached out and gripped the dashboard once more.

_Matt's Car_

Matt and Jeff were traveling east on the curvy two lane road, intent of reaching Lake Louisienne. At the moment, they were on a rare straight stretch of the highway. Matt had been looking on the sides of the road in the woods for signs of Lita, but an oncoming car caught his attention. It was traveling very fast. Getting trapped behind a slower car ahead of it, the speeding car suddenly swerved across the solid line into the eastbound lane, swerving around the slower car and then zipping back in front of it, cutting the other car off. The miffed driver of the slower car honked his horn at the reckless driver.

"Jeff, watch that car. He's being reckless. He might be drunk or something." The oncoming car kept coming closer.

"I see it coming. Stupid idiot. Even I don't drink then get behind the wheel."

"Jeff, that car looks like…." the car came within a few feet of passing them.

"Lita's!" Jeff screamed. The car rushed past them at that moment.

At the moment the car passed, Matt locked his eyes on the occupants. In an instant, he knew exactly who was in that vehicle. Matt whipped his head around to follow the car, bellowing to his brother, "Turn around! Turn around! It's them! I saw them. Raven's driving and Lita's with him!"

"Hang on, Matt!" he said with a stone face. Jeff then slammed on the brakes, and sharply cut the wheel. The car spun around in a 180 degree angle, ending up facing the opposite direction. Once it stopped, he straightened up the wheels and accelerated again, squealing tires signaling his takeoff in a new direction. Matt and Jeff sped off after Raven, determination on both their faces.

to be continued


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Part Sixteen

Lita heard the sound of screeching brakes, and instinctively turned around the best she could in her seat to see what was going on behind her. It was a difficult task, seeing how her neck brace restricted her movement and she had her seat belt on. What she saw when she did manage to get around in the seat made her heart leap. She recognized the car immediately that was now taking off again, following Lita's car westbound.

"Damn, are those cops?" Raven asked in a loud voice.

Lita turned and looked at Raven, the redhead still clutching the dashboard. In his effort to watch what was happening behind him, mixed with the high speed, he was swerving even more than before. "Even better," she quipped to Raven. "It's the Hardy Boys!" she couldn't help but gloat slightly and smile at Raven. "I knew they wouldn't let me down," she said under her breath.

"NO!" Raven didn't believe her, but it was true. "I will not let those ungrateful punks beat me. ARGH!" he yelled, slamming his fist against the steering wheel.

Raven had no choice but to slow down slightly, as the straight stretch of highway turned curvy again. But he was still traveling fast enough that the tires screeched each time he took the curves. This allowed Jeff to gain on him, and that fact was causing Raven to become even more nervous and antsy behind the wheel.

_In Matt's car_

"Yes, sir. We're on Highway 22, westbound, close to the boat ramps. We're following him. Yes, Lita's with him. She looked ok," Matt said into his cell phone. Detective Atkins was on the other line. He had been exasperated and angry when Matt first called, but quickly grew gravely serious when Matt told him what was going on.

"If he turns off somewhere, I'll call you back," Matt said, then clicked off the phone. "Cops are on their way," Matt said, turning to look at his brother.

Jeff had been quiet since he turned around, a fierce look of determination in his eyes. He drove the car as fast as it would go, manipulating the curves effortlessly. It seems the years of motocross racing were paying off with some transferable driving skills.

Quickly, Jeff caught up with Raven, riding within feet of his bumper. "Careful Jeff," Matt said cautiously, "I don't want him to wreck with her in the car with him."

"I know Matt. But I've got an advantage over him in that I know these roads and he doesn't."

"Yeah, but that's a disadvantage to Lita…" Matt said.

Jeff shot a quick look at his brother. "If she wasn't with him right now, I'd knock his ass off the road."

"He can't keep this up much longer. He's too erratic. He's going to crash." Matt's voice grew with his frustration. He'd be devastated if they'd come this close to ending this chaos and Lita got hurt.

"Maybe I can go around him and cut him off."

"I don't see any other choice. When he sees the police cars, who knows what he'll do. Make him stop, Jeff."

_In Lita's car_

Lita had never felt so many emotions all at the same time in her entire life. The greatest one at the moment was fear. Raven was scaring her to death. Her white knuckles were a dead giveaway as she gripped the dashboard. She also was fearful for Matt and Jeff in the car behind her. She knew them so well, so she knew they'd take any risk if it meant getting to her. As much as she wanted them to rescue her, she wanted them to be safe above all else. She could ultimately take care of herself. Please keep them safe, she silently prayed.

Once again, she knew she needed a plan. Her instinct was to try to jump out of the car. Maybe she could if Raven slowed down enough in a curve. It would hurt like hell and she knew she'd probably be scraped up, but it might be the best way. But Jeff was literally right behind her. What if she didn't clear the road and he couldn't stop? And then there was her neck. Ok, that was probably not an option.

Her second thought was to convince him to stop. But there was a snowball's chance she could convince him of that. Maybe plan three should be to try and fight him for the wheel. She could purposefully cause a crash. But she wouldn't have any real control, and couldn't guarantee she wouldn't hurt herself, or worse, hurt Matt or Jeff behind her. So, she decided to give plan two a shot.

Raven was mumbling in a low voice, but Lita couldn't tell what he was saying. "Raven, please stop this now," she pleaded.

"NO!" he shouted at her. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT! I WILL NOT LET THEM WIN!" he turned his head to yell at Lita directly. That was a huge mistake. The car drifted across the yellow line, directly into the path of an oncoming car. Lita's screams jerked Raven's attention back to the road. She threw her arms up over her face while the sound of squealing tires and blaring horns filled the air……….


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Part Seventeen

Raven cut sharply to the right, jerking the wheel roughly to avoid the oncoming car. The car squealed it's protest as it whipped across the yellow line. Insider her car, Lita felt herself tossed to her right side like a rag doll. It didn't feel so good however, as her head and her right cheek hit the passenger side glass with a hard thump. She'd had her seat belt on thankfully. It kept her from hitting the side of her head even harder. Raven gripped the wheel as the car spun around 90 degrees, coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the road facing perpendicular to the way they had been traveling. For it's part, the oncoming car swerved to it's right, running off the road and into the gravels screeching to a halt.

Behind them, Jeff saw what was happening and slammed on his brakes. His car spun to a stop, fishtailing wildly behind them. Matt clung to the dashboard to keep from launching forward through it. Jeff skidded to a stop about fifty feet behind Lita and Raven. In a flash, both boys had their doors open and were jumping out of the their car, in a dead run for Lita's car. Raven got his wits back together, coming out of the haze he had been in since the near accident. Beside him, Lita was still dazed after having bounced her head off the glass. Just as she was coming back around, Raven threw the car in first gear and took off again. Jeff reached out wildly for the car, just touching the back bumper as it lurched out of his grasp. Spinning around, he ran back as hard as he could for Matt's car, noting his brother was two steps ahead of him.

"Damn!" shouted Matt. We were so close, so close Jeff!"

"I know man," Jeff panted trying to regain control of his breathing. "We'll stop him," he said, gearing the car up to fifth gear, hot on Raven's tail once more.

In Lita's car

"Owww," came a soft moan, as Lita rubbed her hand along her right cheek. "That's going to leave a mark," she said, turning to look at Raven.

"I see you survived," he said to her disdainfully.

"I wish you hadn't" she spit back at him. She maneuvered around in her seat to look behind her. Relief washed over her as she saw Matt and Jeff still following her. Both boys appeared to be intact and safe. Unfortunately, Raven had started traveling again at a higher rate of speed than she would have liked.

"Geez, Raven, slow down. You already almost killed us once." Lita said. She was getting a humongous headache, and with no wonder what with everything she was going through.

"Scare ya, huh?" was all he said to her, not taking his eyes off the road. It seemed maybe he was a little scared himself. Lita looked closer at him, was that sweat on his brow?

Raven started to say something else to Lita, when her car started making a little pinging sound. Nothing major, but a noise all the same.

"Hear that?" she said. "You broke my car. If I survive this, I'm going to make you pay for that. And if I don't survive this, you're going to pay my beneficiaries."

"O, but ye of little faith, they say." Raven started to talk in a poetic voice again, much like he used to do on tv. "But what about those who have too much faith, Lita dear?" he asked. Pointing into his rear view mirror at the Hardys still behind him. "What happens to those who are so faithful they stumble blindly? What will happen to your beloved friends back there? They're doing nothing for their well-being, or for yours."

"Stop it," Lita was getting creeped out, as Raven pushed the accelerator a little more with each sentence.

"As for me, I made a critical mistake. I had faith in other people, and they let me down," he continued. "So, if I don't survive this, it's not like anyone will really mind. You said so yourself, you wish I hadn't survived."

Now Lita was getting really worried, more scared than she had been yet. Up until this point, she had the underlying feeling that deep down, Raven was remorseful, weirdly compassionate even at times, and just very, very confused. But now he had seemed to give up all hope, spiraling him into even more of a depression. And that could be very bad for them both.

"Raven, please," she said, willing the tears back. "don't talk like that. You don't mean it."

"I am so confused Lita," he said, letting off the accelerator slightly. "I don't want to hurt you, not really."

"Then pull over right now." The car slowed down just a hair more. "We can talk about it. We don't have to let the boys in. Just you and I can talk." She reached out, placing her handcuffed hands on his leg for a moment. She then flit her eyes once more over to the speedometer, and watched it drop two more notches.

In the car behind them, Matt and Jeff both noticed the change in speed. "What's he doing?" Jeff asked.

"I don't know. But there's some smoke coming out from underneath the car. Maybe he busted something. Now's our chance. Catch him, Jeff!"

"Hold tight. I can get him this time." Jeff answered, gearing down while stomping his foot on the accelerator. He raced up beside Lita's car, neck and neck with the other two, but still at a dangerous rate of speed. The road was getting curvy again, so he had to back off in the curves when he couldn't see any potential oncoming traffic.

Matt pointed wildly at Raven to pull over. His window down, Matt hung out the side of the car, his black curls blowing in the breeze. "Pull over, Raven! It's over. You can't go much farther!"

Raven snapped his head around, a resurgence of anger filling him. Once again, he made a snap decision. Without thinking, he whipped his wheel sharply to the left, careering into Matt's car. The sudden move caught both the Hardys and Lita by surprise. Matt had been leaning out the window when Raven made his move. He barely made it back inside the car when it came crashing into him. Inside the car, Lita was screaming, slapping at Raven, crying for him to stop. She had had enough. The front fenders of both cars were smashed but not damaged enough to keep them from moving. Raven slammed his car into the side of Matt's car a second time, the force causing it to bounce off the road momentarily. This time, the damage to the vehicles was far greater. Regaining his composure, Jeff drifted back from Raven, who had taken off again at the faster speed.

"He's crazy! Absolutely crazy!" Matt screamed to his brother, setting back down in his seat. "Jeff, do you know where we are?"

"Oh, no. Yes, I do. Matt, at this speed, he'll never make the curve unless he slows down."

"Catch him again, Jeff. I'll try to warn him."

"He won't listen Matt. It'll just cause him to keep going faster."

"We can't let him hurt her! We've got to do something."

Jeff backed off more, putting more space between him and Raven, but not enough to allow him to get away. The fear in Matt's eyes grew as they neared the object of their dread. Up ahead, they flew past the ominous sign, "Danger Curve Ahead". Raven paid it no heed.

"Deadman's Curve. Please Lita, tell him about Deadman's Curve," Matt pleaded with her. Deadman's Curve was a steep curve in the road that led directly onto an overpass. The overpass was over the eastern end of Lake Louisienne.

In her car, Lita was still shaking because of what had just happened. Looking up, she saw the "Danger Curve Ahead" sign fly by. She knew where she was, and she knew they were going too fast.

"Raven!" she screamed. "We're going too fast! We won't make it…."

Raven went into Deadman's Curve too fast, sending the back end of the car to fly around, tires squealing and spinning three times before smacking head first into the concrete wall of the overpass. A sick scraping noise screamed as the crunched car bounced off the wall, the force sending it spinning the opposite direction, up onto the curb, hitting the opposite side of the concrete bridge wall hard. Finally, the car then came to an eerie rest, water spewing out of the radiator. Inside, there was no movement, no sound.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Part Eighteen

A groggy Raven slowly looked up, his hands still gripped to the wheel. The car had come to rest awkwardly, the front wheel up on the curb. Raven was stunned for a moment; he couldn't believe he'd just survived that wreck. Beside him, Lita moaned as she held the back of her neck. She had a slight cut over her left eye, but looked to be ok. A trickle of blood ran down the side of her face.

The graveness of the situation came flashing back to Raven and he knew he had to get out of the car then and now or be caught. He couldn't open the driver's door because it had been smashed in completely during the chase. So, he reached behind him in the passenger seat and grabbed the tire iron, then reached over and unbuckled Lita's seat belt. Reaching over her, he forced open her damaged door. "Get out, now!" he ordered. Lita turned to look at him incredulously.

"What?" she gasped hoarsely.

"Let's go girl, NOW," he raised the tire iron as a threatening sign. Lita turned and gingerly half-stepped, half-fell out of the car, Raven climbing out over the seat behind her. Just as he thought, the would-be knights in shining armor had arrived and were running towards them at a furious pace. Lita couldn't tell if the looks on Matt and Jeff's faces was relief, fear, or anger. Maybe it was a little of all those.

"LITA!" Matt yelled.

"Stay back!" yelled Raven. Reaching around Lita, he pulled her towards him in a hostage-like hold, the tire iron across her neck. She grimaced slightly at the pull against her injured neck. "Stay back if you don't want to see her hurt."

Matt and Jeff stopped approximately thirty feet from them. Jeff raised his arms, as if to show Raven they weren't a threat. "Be calm Raven," Jeff said, trying to sound calm himself, "we aren't going to make any sudden moves."

"Let her go Raven," spat Matt. "This is over now."

"NO, it's not," Raven said. He had an edge of panic to his voice. Moving backwards away from the boys, he drug Lita with him a couple feet to the concrete bridge railing. He forced her to climb with him up onto the railing by applying pressure against her sore neck. She cried out at the discomfort it caused as she was drug on her knees up onto the bridge rail.

Matt immediately took a step towards Lita at her cry, but Jeff caught him by the arm.

"Matt, no," he said as quiet as he could. "Don't chance it."

Raven pulled her up to him, holding her tight again with his arm around her middle, the other holding the tire iron against her neck. There was no way she could fight him. Lita peered over the edge of the bridge, the lake's choppy water below making her dizzy. She figured she was about thirty feet above the water. She struggled to maintain her balance on the two-foot wide bridge.

"Ah, boys, the game continues."

"C'mon, Raven. You've done some crazy things, but this is serious. Please come down."

"Please, come down," Raven mocked Jeff. "You make me sick. You know that? You, Mr. Undisputed Champion, begging for mercy. How pathetic is that?"

"We just don't want to see Lita hurt," Matt said calmly.

"Oh, you don't want to see Lita hurt. What about me Matthew? Don't you care about what happens to me?"

"I hope you –" Matt started, but Jeff interrupted him, "you need to get some help Raven."

Jeff was afraid Matt would let his emotions carry him, inadvertently putting Lita more at risk.

"You can get some help, then return to the WWE. You'll have a fabulous reputation as a wild, unpredictable character. You have an incredible future ahead of you."

"Oh, but you already hold that title for wild characters, Jeff. I couldn't use that. Besides, I know as well as you they won't let me come back. They tossed me out like day old bread."

"Raven," came Lita's quiet voice. It surprised him. She hadn't said a word so far. "Please let me down. It scares me to be up here. It makes me dizzy."

"I can't. If I do that, then I lose the game. Look at them, Lita." He shook his arm around her neck, as if to emphasize to her what he wanted her to do. "See them? I've got their attention now. I think those punks are sorry now they ever messed with me. They are at my mercy. Do you know how that feels?"

Lita listened to Raven, but locked eyes with Matt. She stared into the brown depths of his eyes, as if they were her lifesaver. She didn't dare break contact with him.

"It's ok, Raven. Really. They're very sorry. Let's end this. I want to go home and I'm sure you do too."

"Do you know how that feels?" he asked again. He ignored her comments. "It makes me feel powerful. It makes me feel in control. And it makes me feel wanted." Raven's eyes glistened. He was beginning to move his body slightly from side to side as he spoke, and Lita did her best to keep her own balance with the extra movement.

"You're wanted all right," spat Jeff. He was getting frustrated. A part of Jeff wanted to rush Raven so badly. He could take him out with one clean hit. He knew though that doing so would be too risky to Lita right now.

"Why do you think I am such a loner? Why do you think I work so hard? All I want is to be accepted for who I am. For what I can do. No one tries to understand me."

"We all want that to understand you," Matt said, trying to reason with him once more. He took a tentative step towards Raven and Lita.

"Stop right there, Hardy!" Raven screamed at Matt. "I'll jump and I'll take her with me. If you don't think I'm serious, just take one more step forward."

Matt stood frozen in place. He believed that Raven was crazy enough to make good on his threat. Matt subconsciously held his breath.

"Raven, I won't move. Jeff and I are staying right here. Keep talking to us."

Just then, the sound of sirens came into earshot. Although they were far away, the alarms were traveling their direction, getting closer and closer.

"Damn you!" Raven screamed. "Damn you for spoiling the game. You told the police where we were, didn't you?" He began moving small steps backwards along the railing, forcing Lita to step back with him.

"They're coming to bring you some help, Raven."

Raven's eyes grew dark with anger. "I knew I couldn't trust you. That's it. I'm through fooling with both of you. Of all three of you," he said referring to Lita. "I'm playing the final card."

The sirens got louder as they came around the corner. Raven turned half around to look over his shoulder as the police arrived. Turning back around, he made his final decision. Lita thought she heard a whispered "I'm sorry" in her ear. Raven then suddenly released Lita, shoving her off the bridge, plummeting towards the lake water below.

Both Hardys sprung to action simultaneously. "NNNNOOOOOO!" screamed Matt, taking off at a run for the bridge. Jeff cursed profusely as he also ran for the bridge, spearing Raven on the cold concrete rail. Raven's plan to distract them to escape by pushing Lita over failed as Jeff was too quick for him. The two broke into a fierce fight on the bridge right there.

Lita was caught off guard when she felt herself shoved roughly. She couldn't help but take a step – but there was nothing but air to catch her. She screamed in terror as she fell through the air, splashing hard as she landed on her side in the choppy, cold water below.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Part Nineteen

get to … the …. surface…

Lita screamed in her mind, fighting with all her might to push through the murky water, her entire body aching. She'd hit the water on her side, hurting her left ankle, making it difficult to use her legs to make powerful kicks towards the surface. Her hands were still handcuffed, so she was limited with how strong she could paddle. She kicked her feet with all her might, trying to ignore the pain, struggling to reach the top where she could get air.

Her lungs stung as she struggled under the water. The water fought back, pushing and shoving at her, beating her like no in-ring competitor ever had. Finally, she was able to break the surface, dazed and gasping desperately. Her lungs burned as her body took a deep breath. The sweet air hurt her entire chest as she sucked it in. She flapped her arms best she could, kicking her legs, but she was disoriented, and struggled to regain her full wits about her. As Lita took a second breath, a wave washed over her filling her mouth and nose with the dark water. Involuntarily, she swallowed, choking on the vile liquid. The next wave proved too powerful and drug her back under, forcing more water into her mouth and lungs.

The second they realized Raven had shoved her over the edge, both Matt and Jeff had launched into action, Jeff rushing Raven with Matt going to Lita. Matt ran as hard as he could towards the spot on the bridge railing where Lita had been, only stopping himself momentarily after he leapt single-legged onto the railing. His eyes raced along the water's surface for the woman he cared about more than anything else in the world. In less than a second he spotted her, just below the water's surface. Without hesitation, he leapt off the bridge, falling freely, splashing down into the water to her aid.

Jeff, meanwhile had speared Raven, the two fighting furiously on the ground. Both were fierce, slugging it out back and forth. "You wanted a match, but you're getting a beating, you moron," Jeff hissed.

Raven didn't say a word, just flung himself at Jeff, grunting as he attempted to clothesline him to the ground. But Jeff was enraged, more angry than he'd ever been in his life. He fought with Raven as if he wasn't even within his own body, as if someone else were bringing blood from the fallen man. Jeff had Raven on the ground, beating him with every ounce of strength he had. Raven tried to return the blows, but had been forced into a defensive position.

An army of police officers seemed to swarm them at that point. Jeff felt hands on his arms and shoulders, pulling him off the fallen Raven. He attempted to break loose, but was restrained by the officers. Another group of officers were restraining Raven, lifting him to his feet and taking him into custody. It was then that Jeff realized the sirens had stopped, that the police had arrived. Looking around him for the first time, the area looked like a war zone, what with Matt and Lita's smashed cars littering the highway, while the blue and red lights of the police cars danced around the pavement. Two officers were with Jeff, guarding him to keep him from going after Raven, who had been taken to the police van across the road. Jeff turned away from the officers trying to question him at the approach of an ambulance's red lights. In a flash the image of Matt leaping off the bridge after Lita came flooding back to him. Jeff broke free from the inquiring officers, racing to the edge of the bridge to see what happened to his brother and friend.

_A few moments earlier_

Lita screamed in her mind for her body to keep fighting to stay above the surface. Sadly, her body was betraying her, given her injuries and handcuffs. She grew more tired with each futile kick, bobbing above, then below the water. She felt herself slip under the water, for what she knew was the final time. She was exhausted and the power of the waves was too much for her.

Lita was near blackout when she felt something strong reach out and grab her shoulder. She was too disoriented to know what was going on as she was lifted out of the murky depths to the world above.

Matt held Lita in a lifeguard's hold as he swam her over to the banks. He talked with her all the while, praising her for her bravery, and reassuring her she'd be ok. She didn't answer him. Dripping wet, he carried her out of the water and placed her gently on the ground. She was so still, eyes closed, not moving.

"Ok, ok, ok," he said to himself out loud, trying in vain to recall the basic CPR he learned back in high school. Leaning over the red-haired beauty, he placed his ear to her chest listening for a heartbeat. Relief flooded him as he heard a steady beat. "Oh, thank you God" he said. Trying to ascertain whether or not she was breathing, he moved his ear over her mouth. He couldn't tell if she was breathing because of the wind blowing along the river bank. Panicking, he positioned himself to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"Head tipped back," he told himself, as he gingerly attempted to tip her head backwards. He couldn't really do that with the brace and was afraid to do so for fear of injuring her further. He decided he'd just hold the back of her head with his hand, supporting her neck as best he could. "Check the airway," he stammered to himself, using his other hand to make sure her mouth was clear.

Matt bent down to share his air with Lita. Just as he was inches from her mouth, her eyes fluttered open, surprising the dark-haired man. He raised up an inch, shocked. The redhead below him began coughing as she expelled the remaining water from her mouth.

"What … are you… doing?" she finally asked him in a raspy, whispered voice.

"Giving you CPR?" he answered with a question.

"I don't… need… CPR," she whispered hoarsely, staring into his brown eyes.

"Oh, sorry" was all he could manage to say. Suddenly embarrassed, Matt moved his head back to move out of her way to give her more room to breath, but Lita reached up quickly with her handcuffed hands, snaking them behind his head as she stopped him. She pulled him back down to her, pressing his lips to hers in a sweet kiss.

"Thank you," she said after they finally broke the kiss.

"You're welcome," Matt smiled widely, relief flooding his features. He turned serious again. "I was so scared. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I am now," she half said, half coughed, sending him a smile. "And I think we need to talk later."

"Definitely," he said, caressing her bruised cheek softly. She attempted to rise up, and Matt immediately circled his arms around her, helping lift her to a sitting position. He bent down and met her lips again.

Up at the bridge, Jeff stood beside Detective Atkins, who'd arrived a few moments later. Jeff had several lacerations on his hands and a cut across his eye, courtesy of his fight with Raven. The two watched what was unfolding down on the water's banks. Jeff smiled, relieved that Lita appeared to be ok and happy that it looked as if his brother and her had finally realized what he had known all along; that they were made for each other.

"Well," said Detective Atkins, breaking Jeff out of his reverie. "There go the EMTs to help them. Think they'll even know they're there?"

"Sir, I think those two have everything they need at the moment."

"I think you're right. Come on, Jeff. Let's go over to the ambulance and get you checked out."

A little while later, Jeff was patched up and good as new. He sat on the edge of the stretcher out the back of the ambulance, waiting patiently as the EMT covered his cut. He had no major injuries from the fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he observed Matt and Lita. It looked as if they were bickering. "Well, some things don't change," he thought happily. As the EMT finished, he hopped off his seat and started over towards them.

Lita was sitting up on the stretcher in the back of an ambulance, insisting she was fine. Matt, of course, was hovering over her, trying to convince her to go with them to the hospital.

"I'm fine," she said, beginning to sound exasperated.

"Lita, please listen to them. You're not fine. Let's just go to the hospital, for my piece of mind if not yours," Matt pleaded with her. Lita had bruises on both her cheeks and a cut over her eye from the wreck. The EMTs had told her in all likelihood her ankle was severely sprained from the fall. Matt had helped her climb up the hill back to the road, but at a very slow pace. She hadn't outwardly shown any more than a grimace, but Matt knew her well enough to know she wasn't feeling ok. She had allowed the EMTs to clean her cuts and wrap her wrists where the handcuffs had rubbed her wrists almost raw.

"C'mon Li," said a new voice, "do it for me if you won't for him."

"JEFF!" Lita gingerly raised her arms, bidding the young man in for a hug. Lita hugged him with all her might, ecstatic to see he was ok.

"Thank you so much," she said in his ear. Jeff leaned back, looking into her eyes.

"Anything for you. You know that."

"I know," she said simply.

"Lita, please go to the hospital and get checked out. You're going to need a cast or something on your ankle I'm sure," Jeff said again. "Matt will go with you while I take care of things here."

Lita looked down, tears filling her eyes. "I just don't want to let you guys out of my sight," she said.

Matt, who had been standing, sat down beside her, wiping the hint of tears away. "Oh, girl. Please don't do that. I can't take that," he chuckled slightly. "We're all together again, and Raven's not going to hurt you ever again. We made sure of that."

Detective Atkins joined the group then, adding, "He's right Lita. We're transporting him to the station now. He's never going to be able to bother you or anyone else for that matter ever again."

"Detective?" Lita asked. "Can you please make sure he gets some help too? I mean, what he did was wrong, but he also is crying out for help. Please help him," she said.

"We'll do that Lita. He'll get a full psychiatric evaluation and will get the help he needs."

"Thank you, sir."

Matt folded his arms and looked at his new girlfriend. "You are incredible," he said. "After everything he put you through, you still are able to think about his well-being. He certainly didn't think about yours. I'm so pissed at him right now all I can focus on is how much I want him to pay. But here you are worried about him."

"I want him to pay, Matt. What he did to you two and to me was wrong. Psychotically wrong," she laughed a little. "But I also don't want to see him locked up like a rabid animal and just thrown away. Somewhere inside of him is a real person. He's just lost deep inside there. I saw peeks of the real Raven while he held me hostage. While he's away, I just want him to be able to find that person again."

"As much as I hate him, I hope you're right."

"Me too," echoed Jeff.

"C'mon, Lita. Can we please go get you checked out now?" Matt reached out and took her hand.

"I'll meet you both later at the hospital after I finish here," Jeff said and turned to walk away with Detective Atkins. Matt nodded an affirmation to his brother.

"Yeah," she said, finally agreeing to go to the hospital. "But then I want you to take me home."

"Home sounds good."

Matt squeezed her hand, then turned and spoke quietly to the EMTs, who were waiting to transport Lita. Matt climbed up in the back with Lita, still holding her hand.

"Matt?"

"Yes, babe?"

"I think I want to go to your home instead and be with you."

"You got it. Forever if you want me."

"I like the sound of that," Lita said tiredly. She lay back down then, still holding Matt's hand. The EMTs shut the doors, and the ambulance left, leaving the chaos that had happened there behind.

Fini.


End file.
